Major changes predicted: Bertone tipped to be replaced as second in command

August 19, 2013

A series of seemingly minor appointments may be the forerunners of a Pope Francis “revolution” in the Roman Curia, centered on the Pope who prefers to maintain a small circle of persons around him. “There is a transition in place, and Pope Francis has his own project, which he shares just with a few people around him,” a source who is familiar with the Vatican Secretariat of State told CNA Aug.13.

The transition can be seen, according the source, by several “side appointments” made by Pope Francis, such as those of Archbishop Guido Pozzo, Monsignor Konrad Krajewski, and Msgr. Francesco Camaldo.

These appointments presage the Bishop of Rome's major appointments, and the source maintained that “the revolution will probably start with the appointment of the Secretary of State, awaited for September.”

The current Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, was appointed seven years ago, under Benedict XVI. The position is second in the Roman Curia, lower only than the Pope.

Among the “side appointments” was the announcement on a recent Saturday – Aug. 3 – that Archbishop Pozzo would take over his previous post, as secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, the curial office charged with reconciling the ultra-traditionalist Society of St. Pius X.

At the same time, Archbishop Pozzo's post as head of the Office of Papal Charities was filled by Msgr. Krajewski, who has served as a Papal master of ceremonies and is a priest of the Lódz archdiocese in Poland. According to a source familiar with the Society of St. Pius X who spoke to CNA Aug. 14 under conditions of anonymity, Archbishop Pozzo's re-appointment as secretary could “mean a strengthening of the role of Ecclesia Dei, and this could mean that Pope Francis is thinking about re-approaching with (the Society) after the breach of last February.”